Impure
by Scyllia
Summary: When the Impure King attacks his friends, Rin engages the demon in a gruesome battle. Paralyzed from the waist down, how will the Exwires react to his sacrifice? M for gore. No language.
1. Chapter 1

_**Impure**_

_****_by _Scyllia_

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><p>The Impure King was a mass of boiling white miasma. Giving off a stench not unlike that of old vomit forgotten in a room for weeks. It bubbled up in thick orbs that burst open and sprayed the trees with its poison, turning them into hissing piles of ash. The sound was kin to laughter, terribly high and grating, as if the user had been swallowing gravel his whole life. Its pale body lurched in a sickening movement and swiveled on the dying grass before the temple.<p>

The creature's overwhelming presence focused on a group of Exwires. They were tender and young, too inexperienced for a battle they knew was approaching. A demon of such high level would spell trouble for even the most elder of the True Cross Knights.

How would they get out of this alive? There was nowhere to run, the miasma had permeated the surrounding air in all directions, creating a wall of impassable disease. There was no way they could fight, their skills wouldn't measure to this demon's. There was simply nothing that could be done.

The Impure King's rotting body slithered towards the children, making sick, wet sounds. It rose up in front of them, hissing and bulging, when a knot of blue flame screamed through the dark sky, blindsiding it. The beast lurched violently, gurgling as it fell.

The source of the flame rushed forward, his blazing sword held at the ready, black hair and long demon tail tufted in blue pyre. He screamed at them as he flew by, begging them to run while they had a chance. His flame had burned a hole through the steaming miasma, creating an escape.

They hesitated. Could they trust him? Rin Okumura, the disgusting child of Satan; was he really trying to save them? Or take them from the Impure King so he could devour them himself?

There was no time to think about that, one of them realized. The hole was closing fast, it's hazy edges trying to come together in a desperate attempt to trap them again. A decision had to be made.

They fled.

They did not look back.

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><p>The death of the Impure King was impossible to miss. Its white mass rose skyward in a horribly lurching arc, screaming and writhing as its body evaporated into haze. The miasma drifted beside it in a cloud, dissipating like hot steam.<p>

Its demise was beautiful. The entire form was enveloped in soft blue flame, licking and burning the creature's sinful existence. The flames had died out now, as there were no remains of the Impure King left to burn. No fuel for the blaze.

The Exwires had escaped, but not gone far, and they too, witnessed the death scene.

They exchanged glances. Unspoken thoughts were passing between them, each one expressed simply in the others' eyes. No words needed to be said. It was obvious from their faces, they knew what needed to be done. The Son of Satan had fought truly to protect them. He had saved them from the white demon and used his infamous blue flames to help them.

But reality was pricking at the back of their minds.

They had to go back.

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><p>The ground in front of the temple resembled a post-war plain. The ground was wet and churned in places, while tiny blue flames licked at what little grass had remained at the edges of the clearing. The miasma had burned a dark ring in the earth, a sickening reminder of what had happened here.<p>

The Exwires looked around warily, they had no idea what to expect. But what they saw put their worst fears to the forefront of their minds.

Rin was lying in a heap at the foot of the temple steps, he looked as if he had been tossed carelessly aside, and the group pushed the irony of that statement out of their thoughts. They approached him cautiously, fear and apprehension still reigning. He was nearly still, but the shaky rise and fall of his sides told them he was still alive. The group allowed themselves a collective sigh of relief. Till they examined him further.

His stomach was a bloody mess, torn open by the Impure King and spattering crimson within a radius that could be measured in yards. Red organs pulsed sickeningly inside him, a thin shine on their smooth surfaces, courtesy of the moon's dim glow. They wretched at the sight, their own stomachs heaving inside them.

Rin's head was tilted at an unnatural angle against the step, allowing the blood dribbling from his mouth find a path down his pale neck.

His legs were twisted in all the wrong ways. . .

The boy took in a loud, shuddering gasp, startling the group gathered around him. The lids of his deep blue eyes rose and he gazed at them from beneath dark lashes. They were glazed with unimaginable pain.

His bloodied lips tried to form words, but they only produced more thick, crimson liquid. His head slipped from its odd position on the step and hit the ground, sending a jolt down his body. Rin let out a piercing wail, laced with raw agony and exhaustion. Blue eyes slammed shut as his blood-slicked form spasmed with the savage onslaught of pain.

The Exwires flinched, now more afraid than ever. The severity of the situation washed over them like a cold wave of dread. They were alone, deep in the forests of Kyoto with no hospital for miles. It was hopeless. They were hopeless. They had failed the one person who'd fought the hardest to protect them.

One of the girls pointed with a shocked gasp, her pale finger trembling as it was aimed at Rin. The others snapped out of their stupor to look at the boy's bloody abdomen.

His wound was stitching itself shut.

It was horribly disgusting, yet unrivalled in beauty to watch. Skin reached forward in thin tendrils over the opening and met at the center, sinking and weaving together. The hole was effectively plugged in moments, the flesh looking as if it had never seen a scar in its life.

All manner of eyes were focused on Rin as he heaved himself up into a drunken sitting position. His dark head hung forward, swinging to the side before he lifted it and placed his cheek against the cool stone of the temple's column. He shook with loud, ragged breaths, body betraying the look in his eyes.

Rin's deep blue gaze was fixed on them, every kind of identifiable emotion swirling inside them. Pain, confusion, sadness...

_Betrayal._

These people surrounding him... Not even a week ago, they had pronounced him their closest friend. They had traveled side by side and depended on one another. He had fought his hardest for them, revealing his heritage as Satan's son and the ferocity of his blue flames.

And they rejected him. All he wanted was for them to be safe, to live despite impossible odds. He cared about them. But they cast him aside like a toy done being used, they acted as if he didn't exist. Or worse, thought him a monster. A wild beast who wished to maim and devour them.

He was so lonely.

But trained hard for such a moment as this, when he would be able to use those blue flames in an act of kindness and protect those closest to him.

And look what he had sacrificed for them! Defeating the Impure King alone and being beaten near to death, suffering unimaginable pain as his stomach was torn open and his legs broken beyond feeling. He was sure he'd never be able to use them again...

And what did they do?

Nothing. They sat and stared at him as he bled out on the swampy ground. They said nothing to him, holding their silence even when he forced through the exhaustion to sit up and look at them. Watching him scream as his body was racked with agony...

They abandoned him.

_Who's the demon now?_

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><p><em><strong>AN~ I originally planned on this story being only a oneshot, but I've received a lot of reviews asking me to continue and/or talking as if it was an ongoing thing. So far, I've got nothing more planned for it. But because of these reviews I'm thinking of expanding on this. I just need the inspiration and an idea of where I want to go with it. But until then, I guess you could say the story is on Haitus. If anyone has any suggestions feel free to message me, it could be just the inspiration I need.**_

_**Update as of: September 6, 2011**_


	2. Chapter 2

_It's been three days since the battle._

_I can't feel anything below my waist._

_D****t._

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><p>Yukio opened the door to his brother's hospital room, calling out softly to see if he was awake.<br>There was no response, so he must be.

The brunette let himself in and eased the door shut behind him. He swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump that always appeared when he came to see Rin. He didn't understand why he was so nervous to see his own brother. . . Maybe it had something to do with his violent mood swings, the way he was devoid of that once cheerful attitude, or maybe it was. . .

Rin was lying in the hospital bed, propped on a pillow and staring out the window. Academy Town stretched out before them, a mass of color beneath a polluted sky. A sea of dreams and promises the young demon would never fulfill now. . .

Yukio tried not to stare at the numb legs hidden under the blanket.

He concentrated on his brother's face: vacant blue eyes, dirty hair, flushed cheeks stained with tears.  
>For some reason, his wounds had decided not to fully heal; Yukio couldn't help but wonder if that was partly Rin's doing. . .<p>

"You just gonna stand there or what?"

Yukio forced himself not to flinch at his brother's tone. Rin's words had been cruel before, but back then, he could still hear that undercurrent of familial love; there was none of that now.

"I came to see how you were doing."

Silence so thick you could feel it, squeezing.

"I brought you some sukiyaki." The younger twin tried to smile convincingly, but it felt more like a lopsided grimace.

A bitter smile twitched at the corner of Rin's mouth. Yukio was silently wishing for more, but it was better than nothing.  
>The hold of the silence loosened just a bit.<p>

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><p>Rin seperated the chopsticks and held them in his right hand. He was deftly aware of the soft wood between his fingers as he moved them to pick up the food.<br>He was also aware of Yukio's eyes boring a hole into him.

He put a piece of meat into his mouth and chewed.

Yukio held his breath.

It didn't taste like anything.

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><p>His heart shriveled when Rin put the chopsticks down after the first bite.<p>

"Brother. . ."

Rin exhaled loudly. "Yukio, you don't have to pretend like you wanna be here."

He froze. What?

"That's ridiculous! You're my brother of course I want to be here!"

Rin shuddered violently, eyes trained on his numb legs.

"I want to help you through this! I know it's really hard for you, but I-"

"Don't patronize me!"

Yukio flinched and stared at Rin. At the bared teeth and huge, angry eyes. At the pockets of blue flame popping on his skin and hair. He really looked like a demon.

Rin breathed in raggedly, staring at his brother's terrified face.

He felt like a monster, but he couldn't apologize. Couldn't humble himself any more than he already was; lying paralyzed in a hospital bed, broken dreams scattered about his numb legs.

Rin softly told him to leave.

He figured no one had time for him anyway.

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><p><em>The young demon remembered that night.<em>

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><p>Rin steadied himself on shaky arms and took in the group huddled around him. Five Exwires, previously friends of his, but now, he wasn't so sure.<p>

He gazed into each of their eyes in turn, daring, just _daring_ one of them to speak up.  
>Say something. . .<p>

_Say something to me_!

Only Izumo held his gaze.  
>Bon studied the ground, eyes full of shame.<p>

A small part of him felt satisfaction, "_Good, he should suffer_," but he pushed that rancid thought away with a shake of his head. He forced a casual smile and made his voice move like play. "You guys just gonna sit there or what? Let's blow this dump."

They startled to life and forced smiles of their own.

It was getting so easy to lie these days.

Rin pushed off the ground in an effort to stand, yelping as a shard of white hot pain rocketed up his spine. It spread to the nerves in his arms and forced him back to the ground, gasping.  
><em>What the h**l was that?<em>

He suddenly became aware of something, of _nothing_, to be exact. He could feel nothing, as if the legs beneath him no longer existed.

He panicked.

Clawing at the churned up earth in an effort to find purchase, but there was only pain and the pathetic sight of Rin dragging himself along ground, his legs leaving a muddy rut.

Bon and Shiemi rushed to his side, wanting desperately to help but not knowing how. They had momentarily forgotten their incapacity in the wake of Rin's situation. Soon, the others clustered around the young demon as well, fearful.

His eyes grew wide in desperation, he gave another shriek, then collapsed in the dirt.

Shiemi screamed.  
>Bon shook the kid's shoulder in an attempt to wake him, but Rin's eyes remained glazed and unfocused.<p>

"I - Is he dead?"

Bon whirled on Konekomaru, angry and scared and confused.  
>His eyes seemed to be begging for answers:<p>

What do I do?

_What do I do?_

Shiemi fell to her knees beside the unconscious demon, screaming and crying for him to wake up.

There was a loud gasp.  
><em>He's still alive. . .<em>

Rin struggled to stand again, his ragged breathing permeating the air.

Screaming over and over that he couldn't feel his legs.

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><p><strong>AN~ I hope you lovely readers are somewhat pleased by this update, which took forever I know. Your guys's encouraging reviews rekindled my interest in this story, so kudos to you all! After reading, please go to my profile page and vote on the poll I will be making shortly, it's about how you think the story should end.**


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